Ceramic centenary celebration event
The Oriental Ceramic Society is to host a centenary exhibition called Collectors, Curators and Connoisseurs: A Century of the Oriental Ceramic Society. It opens on October 15- December 11 at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS (part of the University of London). The event brings together more than 100 objects across 3000 years including ceramics, bronzes, jades, sculptures and works of art from some of the most outstanding collections in the UK.
Sarah Wong, curator of the exhibition, said: “The early collectors, curators and connoisseurs that formed the society were pioneers in the field of Asian art in the West.
“Through display of objects owned, published and exhibited by key past members, this exhibition re-kindles the collecting passions and evokes the scholarly and philanthropic activities of the OCS over the last 100 years.”
Among the other loans are items from the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath and Winchester College, as well as rare pieces from private members.
Most of the objects are from China but there are also exhibits originating from Japan, Korea and the Middle East. Admission is free but advanced booking online is essential (visit soas.ac.uk/gallery/).
LiveAuctioneers acquired by ATG
Auction Technology Group, owner of Antiques Trade Gazette, has completed the acquisition of US online auction marketplace LiveAuctioneers after receiving regulatory approval last week.
The acquisition will bring an estimated 1600 art and antiques auction houses and 120,000 bidders to ATG’s network and enable each firm’s clients to list their auctions on the other’s platforms.
With over 56m user sessions a year and a base of over one million registered bidders, LiveAuctioneers has a strong presence in the North American market and will bring more US bidders to ATG’s UK auction house customers.
ATG also intends to integrate LiveAuctioneers’ payments solution across its global business, simplifying this process for auction houses.
John-Paul Savant, CEO of ATG, said: “This is a significant milestone that will enhance our ability to support the transformation of the auction industry in its structural shift to online, and brings exciting new opportunities to further enable auctions to play their part in accelerating the growth of the circular economy.”
LiveAuctioneers wi l l continue to operate with its headquarters in New York City and be led by its CEO, Phil Michaelson.
Fans auction debut in the Cotswolds
Mary Cooper is working with Kinghams.
Cotswolds auction house Kinghams has appointed Mary Cooper as a fan and vintage textile consultant. She previously worked for Tennants. The inaugural Fans & Finery auction at the Moreton-in-Marsh saleroom takes place on October 21.
There will also be a two-day exhibition on October 19-20 of around 50 fans from a private collection spanning the period of the 17th to 20th centuries.
X-Men comic cover art hits the spot
Torpedo Comics in the US sold the original cover art for X-Men #1 by artist Jim Lee on September 15. Torpedo declined to comment on the details but it had been reported online in the US that it was bought for $1m by actor and collector Nicholas Cage.
Lee (b.1964), a comic book artist and writer, began his career at Marvel Comics. He penned X-Men #1, the 1991 spin-off series (co-written by Chris Claremont) which remains the best-selling comic book of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Lee is chief creative officer-publisher at DC (owned by Warner Media).
Fox appointed by Chiswick saleroom
Paul Fox has joined Chiswick Auctions.
Paul Fox has joined Chiswick Auctions of west London as head of interiors, homes and antiques. He was previously at Sworders in Essex where he worked for eight years, heading up its interiors department and working with wine and spirits.
Prior to Fox’s appointment, Liz Winnicott headed the interiors, homes and antiques department. She will continue to lead Chiswick’s probates, trusts and estates department while growing the firm’s private collection and house sales.
Chapman joins Lincs auction house
Sophie Chapman of Stamford Auction Rooms.
Sophie Chapman has joined Stamford Auction Rooms as senior valuer and jewellery specialist. She has worked in art and antiques for almost 20 years, having trained at Christie’s, and later worked at Phillips, Bonhams and Langfords Marine Antiques.
Most read
The most viewed stories for week September 23-29 on antiquestradegazette.com
1 Modern sculpture’s power couple: Works by the Lalannes continue to rise at auction
2 Golden discovery brings coin hoard to market
3 Broken Qing vase still takes $2m hammer at US auction
4 Chinese vases sell over 200-times estimate in East Sussex
5 EW Godwin coffee table stars in our weekly pick of five auction highlights
In Numbers
$100m
The total value of sales of NFTs achieved at Christie’s in just under a year since its first auction of non-fungible tokens in October 2020. Also see A Lawyer Writes.
